Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If so, you can try to solve the problem by yourself or call Orem Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Orem, Utah.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the reasons are going to sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an on/off switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to review the more obvious potential issues prior to proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair problem and see what causes we can cite for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The cause of a water dispenser not working is commonly an installation problem, a filter issue or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just installed a new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it is broken. The water dispenser has to be hooked up to the water line. That might be the cause of the problem.

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing an old refrigerator that did not have an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you do not have a water line near this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is commonly run from underneath a house either in a basement or crawl space. You can get this type of water line at just about any home repair store and they are pretty easy for even the average homeowner to install. Typically they have a a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there’s a connected water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle should be lined up with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe that you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and questions, but items that have to be confirmed.

If you had to remove the refrigerator doors during installation the water dispenser might not be plugged in. Check the owner’s manual to see the wire harness for the particular model of refrigerator. Be sure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

Once the water is hooked up, usually there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser lever on the refrigerator to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Issues

On some popular models, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, become clogged or become frozen. All of the filters are dependent on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it will cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s suggested that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Changing filters can be challenging. If you have hiccups, go online and learn the proper method to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill up the water filter with water before installing it. Typically the water filters can need a long time to fill up, which might cause you to believe that the water dispenser is not working right. You should read the manual if nothing is working. To ensure it’s not air caught in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the source of the issue as well on some refrigerators. If the tank is frozen it will start to leak onto the fresh food bins. Minimal food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing.